EVALUATING EFFICIENCY OF SOME HONEYBEE RACES IN POLLEN COLLECTION IN QALYUBYIA GOVERNORATE

Abstract

The present study was carried out in the apiary of the bee Research Institute Al kanater Al Khayriya Branch and in the private sector in the apiary located in Namoul village, Toukh region, Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt during 2018 and 2021. 6.1. Evaluation of two pure honey bee strains; Italian (Apis mellifera ligustica) and Carniolan (Apis mellifera carnica) and their hybrids (F1) Italian and Carniolan in pollen production. To evaluate the efficiency of some honey bee strains of honey bees in collecting bee pollen, the experiment was carried out in the private sector in the apiary located in Namoul village, Toukh region, Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt during different seasons 2018 and 2019. Drawer bee pollen traps (front bee pollen traps) were used in this evaluation. 6.1.1. Pollen production during summer season, 2018. The total and average amounts of bee pollen (gm) in addition average/colony/day (gm) collected by two pure honey bee races and their hybrids, F1 during summer season started on July 1st until the middle of September, 2018 were 16.268, 21.495, 14.796 and, 17.622 (gm) with an average of 2033.50, 2686.88, 1849.63 and 2202.75 gm/colony, while, the amounts of bee pollen collected per colony/day 9gm) were 36.31, 47.98, 33.03 and 39.33 gm/colony/day for Italian pure (Apis mellifera ligustica), Italian hybrid F1, Carniolan pure (Apis mellifera carnica) and carniolan hybrid F1, respectively. Data revealed that significant differences were found in bee pollen collection among all the tested strains during summer season. It can be concluded that, the Italian hybrid (F1) significantly collected the highest amounts of bee pollen during the summer season (21.495 gm), followed by Carniolan hybrid (F1) (17.622 gm) and Italian pure (16.268 gm) without significant differences between them, meanwhile the Carniolan pure race significantly collected the lowest amounts of bee pollen during the summer season (14.796 gm). Regardless, the evaluated honey bee races, the total amounts of bee pollen collected by different honey bee strains were 8138, 14079, 17342, 9325, 8734, 6165, 3785, 2614 gm with an average of 254.31, 439.96, 541.94, 291.41, 272.94, 192.65, 118.28 and 81.69 gm/colony during the inspection period in July, August and September. It also concluded that the highest amounts of bee pollen collected during the summer season was in July while the lowest amounts of bee pollen collected during the summer season was in August and the middle of September.